S5 E48: The Story Behind Travel Media Lab

Get the show’s transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Travel Media Lab podcast. I'm your host, Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel photographer, writer, entrepreneur, community builder, and a firm believer that every one of us can go after the stories. We've always wanted to tell with the right support and encouragement and structure, and I'm on a mission to help women's stories are as everywhere break into and thrive in the travel media space.

[00:00:25] If you're ready to ditch your fears to the side, grow your knowledge and confidence and publish your trouble stories. You're in the right place. Let's go. 

[00:00:36] Welcome back dear listeners to the travel media lab podcast. Change is the only constant and nowhere. This is more true than in entrepreneurship. So today on the episode, I would love to take you through the big change we've embarked on recently going from genius women to travel media lab. Now, if you've been listening to our podcast for a while, or perhaps you heard me speak in other spaces, you know that I'm very biased for action.

[00:01:08] I believe that taking action is what often separates our dreams from our reality, after all, in order for us to get somewhere anywhere, really, uh, we need to start taking action towards this new reality that we want. This bias for action is usually very helpful in entrepreneurship. And for that matter in the travel media and storytelling space, when we create something new, we don't know how the world will react to our creation.

[00:01:37] Nobody has the right answers for us when we're creating something new. The best thing we can do is to act and see what happens. And it's really the same with putting your stories. Yes, you need to do the homework of researching your publications and honing your pitch. I talk about that all the time, but beyond that, the most important thing you can do is to act and to send your story out to an editor, put your work, put your ideas in front of other people.

[00:02:09] That's how you get anywhere in life. Really.

[00:02:12] So, this is how genius women, the original name for this podcast and the larger platform behind this was born. I had an idea for it after running my first ever traveled journalism class in the summer of 2020, when we were first coming to term with COVID somehow all of the students that sign up for that first masterclass were.

[00:02:37] Shout out to any of you? Uh, the original, uh, students that I had, if you're listening to them. And in that class we learned and we created some magic together. And I was so inspired after that class was over that I immediately wanted to create a space where I share my travel journalism knowledge and gather around like-minded women who wants to be in this space together to encourage and support it.

[00:03:05] And so I did. That's exactly what I did. The name genius women came to me right away, as I thought about what the platform was all about. For me, it was about drawing the genius out of us. The genius that I believe exists in all of us, but sometimes we just need a little push and guidance along. The URL was available as well.

[00:03:29] So I jumped on it and I started building the website, the podcast, the membership, and so on and so on the rests, as they say was history. And for the first few years, this was really. But increasingly I started noticing that what we do inside, which is to encourage and support these amazing women's stories, ours photographers, writers, bloggers, who have stories to tell, and who wants to see them published, that it wasn't accurately represented by the name we carried.

[00:04:01] Sure we were all genius women inside, but the name, the name itself gave no hints. And the focus on the trouble storytelling in the street that we have and the name, well, it's kind of important, right? It's um, it's like a subject line in a pitch email. You send to the editor. In that subject line doesn't make sense.

[00:04:23] Or if it's not clear, chances are it's going to go straight to the trashcan and the trouble editors, at least many of the ones I've spoken to are just too busy to figure out if the email you send them is something they should open. If, it's something that they should spend their time and intention on.

[00:04:41] So if it doesn't make sense, they're more likely not going to open it. So it was the same with the people who came across genius women for the first time. What is it that we do exactly. And how's it related to travel or how's it going to help me publish my travel stories? Right. It's not clear. It wasn't clear.

[00:05:01] And when something is not clear, people tend to tune out.

[00:05:06] So this needs to change our name really crystallized for me over the holiday break. As we were all sort of decompressing from another crazy year, I took a moment one day to look at our website analytics and what I saw there sort of shocked me. The number one serum that attracted visitors to our site was.

[00:05:30] Imposter syndrome, not the travel, not publishing, travel stories, not storytelling or travel photography or writing imposter syndrome. 

[00:05:39] It was really eye opening for me. It meant that we weren't even attracting the people. We were best suited to help get some answers on our sides. So that's when I knew that the name genius women, it had. So season five, over podcast returns. Now in the new form as the travel media lab podcast, this is why we changed.

[00:06:03] We wanted our name to better represent what we do inside. Right? It's helping you. Our dear listeners get inspired and get some answers as you break into or thrive in. If you're already inside the travel media space.

[00:06:18] Now trouble, media is a term. You might not hear this often, but actually in the industry that I operate in the industry of travel magazines, destination, tourism boards, and travel journalists and editors. This is a very common term. Simply put it describes people who create stories. So, whether you're a photographer, a writer, a videographer and editor, a blogger, or an influencer who creates thrombo stories, you are in the travel media simple.

[00:06:50] So travel media lab is what my platform is called. And why is it a. Uh, lab is a place where you come to experiment, learn and meet people who are passionate about the same things you are. And inside trommel media lab, you can expect to find. Inside our platform. We learn everyday how to become better storytellers in the travel media space.

[00:07:15] We're experimenting with our stories and with our pitches, we're asking questions and we're meeting amazing people who are interested in travel and storytelling as well. So if that sounds like your jam, and if you don't mind being in community with a whole bunch of amazing women, you are in the right place.

[00:07:33] And now I want to pause and actually give a special shout out and a huge thank you really. So Karthik is a dear friend of mine and fellow travel photographer and writer. If it wasn't for Karthik, I, her inviting living room and loads of chai with drank on that dreary winter. We wouldn't have had the name travel media lab, in fact, who is the one who came up with it and I loved it immediately.

[00:08:02] I loved the spirit of it. So thank you Karthik for coming up with our new. And by the way, Karthik is an amazing podcast or two, and she hosts a podcast called culturally ours. We'll link to it in our show notes. So if you love this covering people and places from around the world, if you love some excellent storytelling, you will love her podcast.

[00:08:25] So definitely check it out. It's called culturally. Karthik who was also a guest on our podcast. Our very first season, episode seven code. You're good enough to do this work. It was such a life affirming conversation we had and we had so much fun and so much laughter check it out as well. So this isn't my friends.

[00:08:49] This is the story of changing genius women. So we'll travel media lab. It can be scary to change sometimes when you've already spent so much time and effort into building something. But sometimes you recognize that this is the right next step. And yes, I was scared and I was nervous to make this change as well.

[00:09:09] But so far it's been going well. So if you have thoughts or feedback about our new stage in this journey about our new name, travel media lab, or anything of that sort, if you'd like to share what's on your mind at all. Feel free to drop me a note on Instagram and we'll link it to our show notes as well, because that would also tell me that, Hey, Yulia, you are on the right track.

[00:09:34] Don't worry. Don't be afraid. Don't be nervous. I'm changing a name in the middle of this, uh, this process and this journey is absolutely. Okay. So, uh, if you have something to say, or if you have some feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

[00:09:51] Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me today.

[00:09:55] And I am really, really excited to share with you. What's in store for our podcast. Next next week, we are talking with Sarah Khan, who is an incredible accomplished travel journalist, who just became the editor in chief at Conde Nast traveler, middle. Sarah will share her insights on what types of stories she's looking for.

[00:10:17] So definitely don't miss that episode later in the season, we have an another incredible interview with Ashley Halligan, founder of Pilgrim magazine. And we'll also share with you sessions from inside travel media bootcamp, immediate trip experience. I'm putting together with my travel industry. Paula Carrera.

[00:10:38] It's going to be a great, great season and I can't wait for you to experience it all. And as always, thank you so much for listening. And if you enjoyed today's show, please consider leaving us a review that helps us out so much upwards and onwards always, and see you next week.